Truly a spectacular view, the geological phenomenon that is Pamukkale, literally “Cotton Castle” in Turkish, is the site of the well preserved ruins of the Greek-Roman city of Hierapolis. A unique combination of natural & man-made wonders, Pamukkale-Hierapolis has been made a UNESCO World Heritage site! It is Turkey’s single most visited attraction with over 2 million visitors annually.
How To Get There?
We traveled from Izmir to Denizli by catching the train from Basmane Station at 8:00 am. It is the best option if you’re traveling on a budget because the ticket costs just 18 TL each. It took us less than 5 hours to reach the Denizli Gar (train station).
Walk out the front door of the Denizli Gar, turn left, climb the stairs and look a bit to the left. Across the boulevard you’ll see the Denizli Otogar (bus terminal). Enter the building and take the escalator down to the lower level. At peron 76 (gate 76) you’ll find the minibuses to nearby towns. Take the one to Pamukkale and in about 15-20 minutes you’ll reach your destination. Don’t forget to mention Archaeological Site North Entrance. They charge you 6 TL for the ride.
Hierapolis Ruins
Once you arrive at the entrance and get your ticket from the reception (35 TL each), you can either continue walking towards the Hierapolis ruins or take shuttle van (2 TL each) to directly go to the travertines.
As you walk towards the ruins, you’ll find yourself lost in history. We spent about 10 minutes in the ruins then took the shuttle to the travertines.
Pamukkale Travertines
Once we reached the travertines, I was left speechless and couldn’t wait to get into the warm springs. This surreal, brilliant white travetine terraces with its warm, crystal clear pools is truly a picturesque treat to the eyes. It was a magical walk through this wonder!
Make sure you remove your shoes before you walk through the pools. December is a very chilly month in Turkey but I spent a very warm day at Pamukkale. It’s quite sunny during the day but cools down after 4:00 pm. The best time to visit this area is between 6:00 am to 8:00 am to be honest. The tourists start flooding in by 9:00 am. Luckily, we didn’t encounter many during our visit at this of the year.
One of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in my lifetime was here. Hues of crimson and lilac filled the sky at sunset. It wasn’t easy to leave this wonderful place but unfortunately the site closes at 6:00 pm and we departed with huge smiles on our faces.
Departure
We took the last shuttle to exit the site and reached the gate to catch the minibus to go to the Otogar. We couldn’t catch the last train to Basmane station but luckily we took the bus departing at 7:30 pm for just 25 TL. Our journey back was about 3 hours. It was a long journey but one of the best and unforgettable experiences till date.
Tours & Tips
There are many tours available to Pamukkale and each of them with different rates and packages. Another popular option is to stay overnight at one of the hotels near the site. If you want to avoid the tours then follow the above instructions for an adventure of your own!
Wandering AR 
One of my favorite places in the world. Perfectly scripted and great pictures
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